Strongman Haftar returns to Libya after long absence

Libyan military strongman Khalifa Haftar returned to the eastern city of Benghazi on Thursday, after a long stay abroad that included treatment in a Paris hospital, an AFP correspondent reported.

The 75-year-old greeted generals from his self-styled army after descending from a plane dressed in a black suit, in his first public appearance for weeks.

"I assure you that I am in good health," he told a gathering of politicians and tribal dignitaries welcoming him at the airport, thanking them for their support and loyalty.

Among them was his chief of staff, General Abdelrazak al-Nadhuri, who survived a car bombing in Libya's second city Benghazi on April 18.

Haftar was hospitalised in Paris in mid-April for what his spokesman said at the time was "normal checkups" after he collapsed during a scheduled trip in Amman. He was promptly evacuated to Paris and fell into a coma, with various media later reporting his demise.

Speculation about Haftar's condition led the LNA to hold secret meetings to agree on a successor. Despite this, LNA spokesman Ahmad al-Mismari has repeatedly stated the army commander is in good health. 

Libya has been gripped by chaos since a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi in 2011, with rival administrations and multiple militias vying for control of the oil-rich country.

Haftar supports a parliament based in the east of the country, while a UN-backed unity government in the capital Tripoli has struggled to assert its authority nationwide.

Last summer, Hafter announced the "total liberation" of Benghazi, after a three-year campaign to seize the city from jihadists who had made it a stronghold following the revolution. 

He is accused by his rivals of wanting to establish a new military dictatorship in Libya.

On Wednesday, Mismari added that Haftar would take part in celebrations marking the anniversary of his "Karama" (Dignity) campaign, which the general launched to drive militant groups out of Benghazi.  

Meanwhile militants with the Islamic State group remain active in central and southern Libya despite being forced out of their northern stronghold Sirte in 2016.